Kigali in resilience drive

The City of Kigali will today host a workshop aimed at charting ways of developing a comprehensive resilience plan. Dubbed; “Resilience Agenda Workshop”, the workshop is expected to bring together stakeholders, including government, private sector, non-profit and civil society organisations. According to a statement from the organisers, the meeting will highlight some of the key challenges the city is facing and devise possible solutions. The workshop has been organised by the City of Kigali and 100 Resilient Cities initiative that was pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to physical and socio-economic challenges of modern times. Kigali, being one of the cities under the initiative, is set to receive resources necessary to develop a roadmap to resilience including financial, logistical, and expert support. The 100 Resilient Cities initiative was launched in 2013 as a commitment to building urban resilience with officials from over 400 cities across the world applying out of which 32 cities, including Kigali, getting the nod. Speaking ahead of the forum, Michael Berkowitz, the president of 100 Resilient Cities, said the workshop will help identify the city’s needs and provide a plan to engage development players. “City authorities are at the frontline of dealing with acute shocks and chronic stress. The City of Kigali is helping fuel global momentum around building urban resilience. Kigali’s commitment to resilience thinking, planning and action will set a global example. The workshop will clarify the city’s needs, surface innovative thinking, and give us a blueprint for engaging partners from across all sectors to bring Kigali the tools and resources needed to become more resilient,” Berkowitz said. The Mayor of the City of Kigali, Fidel Ndayisaba, said the city is optimistic the partnership will help build a more resilient city. “We are looking forward to building a more resilient city and believe the partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities programme will help kick-start this process. It is an opportunity for us to be part of a worldwide network that seeks to develop more resilient cities,” Ndayisaba noted. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Kigali in resilience drive